Leopold Mozart was a masterful storyteller, ever eager to glorify his children’s achievements, such as the supposed concert at the court of the Prince-Elector of Munich in 1762. Yet, no court records exist to substantiate these claims. In Vienna, despite Schlichtegroll’s embellished tales, Empress Maria Theresa simply referred to them as “beggars,” and the anecdote of young Mozart commanding Wagenseil to turn pages is nothing more than a fanciful fabrication.

Mozart’s so-called sight-reading miracles were less about supernatural talent and more about clever improvisation, as two key 18th-century witnesses make clear.

Mozart’s Symphony No. 37, K.444, is more Haydn than Mozart. How did this happen? A story of deception and misattribution unfolds.

For centuries, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has been celebrated as a musical prodigy, effortlessly composing masterpieces from a young age. However, when we peel back the layers of myth surrounding his early education, a different picture emerges—one in which his father, Leopold Mozart, plays a far more controlling and influential role than is often acknowledged. This article explores the true nature of Mozart’s education, examining how much of his early works can be attributed to his own genius, and how much was the product of his father’s meticulous and often self-serving guidance. Was Wolfgang’s brilliance entirely his own, or was it a crafted image designed by Leopold?